Breaking Point transcript
THE ROOKIE Season 2 Episode 9 "Breaking Point" EXT. STREET, DAY LOPEZ and WEST pull up to a residence where a man is carrying away several packages. LOPEZ There he is. 7-Adam-07, show us Code 6 on a suspected mail theft, 2210 Rosemont. Sir! Are those your packages? PORCH PIRATE Totally. WEST Where you taking them? PORCH PIRATE My mom's. WEST You have an ID says you live here? PORCH PIRATE I forgot my wallet. LOPEZ How about opening the front door to prove that's your house? PORCH PIRATE Uh, I-I locked my keys inside. But I can jump the fence, and I can get my hide-a-key. WEST Sir, put down the packages. You're under arrest. PORCH PIRATE Oh, no, this is just gonna take a second, bro. He drops the packages and jumps over the gate into the back yard. WEST Hey, hey! Stop! LOPEZ Give it a second. WEST Why? LOPEZ indicates a sign on the side of the house. LOPEZ "Beware of dog." Behind the gate we hear a dog growling and snarling. It sounds small but angry. PORCH PIRATE Easy! No! No! N-No! The PORCH PIRATE comes scrambling back over the gate as WEST swings his handcuffs. INT. LOPEZ/EVERS HOME, DAY - LIVING AREA WESLEY EVERS is getting dressed for work and having a flashback to his traumatic attack in the fallout shelter. In his memory, people are screaming and taking cover, and he hears LOPEZ shouting "Get an ambulance!" LOPEZ (present day) Ooh. Looking sharp. EVERS Thanks. I kind of missed wearing a suit. LOPEZ Liar. First day back at work. How you feeling? EVERS I feel great. LOPEZ Great. Because the couch is getting a you-shaped dent in it. Time to get back in the game, Counselor. My mom always says "Today's a great day for a great day." You got this. WESLEY looks doubtful. INT. NOLAN'S HOUSE - FRONT ROOM NOLAN is holding paint samples up to the plastered wall, trying to decide. NOLAN Would somebody please tell me the difference between Greyhound and Deep River? There's a knock on the door; he goes over and opens it to find HOWARD GREEN standing there. NOLAN Hey. Can I help you? HOWARD GREEN Is Barbara here? NOLAN Oh, I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong house. GREEN No, this was my house - our house. When Barbara and I were married. Howard Green. They shake hands. NOLAN Oh. John Nolan. Yeah, I just, uh - I just bought the place. GREEN Wow. Looking good. Barbara always said the bones were special. But we could never afford to do any work. You're fixing it up yourself? NOLAN Yeah. I sure am. And I don't mean to be rude, but I do I have to get ready for work. GREEN Sure. Sorry, uh, to trouble you. He stands in the living room, looking lost. NOLAN Everything okay, Howard? GREEN Not really. Five years ago, I walked out that door, and never came back. Barbara gave me an ultimatum: my family or the drugs. NOLAN Ohh. That's rough. GREEN I'm dying. Brain cancer. (his voice breaks) I just found out. Maybe it's selfish, but I want them to know that I chose wrong before I'm gone. So i-i-if you know where they are, or how I can, uh – NOLAN Howard, I'm so sorry. I bought the house in foreclosure from the bank. I don't have any contact information for your family. GREEN Okay. Thank you for your time, and, uh good luck with the renovation. NOLAN Thank you. INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - KIT COUNTER NOLAN I have to help him, though, right? That's karma 101 - help the dying guy. HARPER (coming out of a brown study) What? NOLAN Nothing. What's got you a million miles away? HARPER Nothing. Judge granted me an overnight visit with Lila, tomorrow night. NOLAN That's great. You must be so happy. HARPER If you equate debilitating anxiety with happiness, then, sure. It's been six months since I spent more than a couple hours a week with her. It's just, she's changed so much. NOLAN And you're afraid that you've forgotten how to be a mom? They proceed into the sally port and load up the shop. HARPER No. NOLAN Don't worry. She's gonna be so excited just to hang out with you. You got her room all set up? HARPER Yeah, I'm doing that tonight. I have a stack of Swedish furniture to assemble. NOLAN Well, if you need a hand – HARPER What, you think because I'm a girl, I'm not handy? NOLAN Not what I said. I just know how challenging Allen wrench furniture can be. HARPER Fair point. SGT. GREY enters the area. SGT. GREY Harper, just got a call from a crime scene. Some woman was assaulted in her apartment. They took her to the hospital. HARPER Okay. GREY Responding officer noticed a framed photo on the victim's bookshelf, thought I should see it. (shows her an image on his phone) That's you, right? HARPER Yeah. In an undercover life. NOLAN Crystal? HARPER Yeah. NOLAN Who's the other lady? HARPER It's Eva Ruiz. We were tight for a while. I used her to get close to some bad people. Haven't seen her in years. NOLAN Any word on who beat her up? GREY No. And she's not talking. Is there any reason detectives should proceed carefully with their investigation? HARPER No, sir. Eva is squarely in my rearview. GREY Okay. He exits the port. NOLAN You know, if you want, we can drop by the hospital, see how your friend is doing. HARPER She's not my friend. She was a means to an end. NOLAN Then why are you upset? INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - RECEPTION AREA CHEN is walking past the reception area when she's addressed by a lady holding a little dog. PERLA Oh! Excuse me! CHEN Mm-hmm. PERLA Excuse me. I found this lost dog. CHEN Aww. (to the dog) Aren't you sweet. (to PERLA) Uh, but lost dogs are actually an Animal Control issue. PERLA Oh, of course. But I figured all this blood made it an LAPD issue. There isn't a scratch on her. CHEN Where was she? PERLA Middle of Wilshire Boulevard. Little cutie was frantic, almost got herself squashed. CHEN takes the dog as BRADFORD walks up. BRADFORD What's the holdup? CHEN We need to swing by a vet, see if there's a chip in this dog. She could have come from a crime scene. EXT. STREET, DAY - FOOT CHASE WEST is chasing a suspect on foot while LOPEZ follows in the shop. WEST slides across a car hood to tackle the suspect just as LOPEZ pulls up, and a civilian (STERLING FREEMAN) in a convertible stops at the scene. WEST Hey! (cuffing suspect) You're under arrest. (to the civilian) Sir, you should stay in your car. STERLING FREEMAN That was sick. WEST Whoa. You're Sterling Freeman. Wh- (to LOPEZ) He's Sterling Freeman. LOPEZ Who? FREEMAN I'm an actor. LOPEZ (unimpressed) Good for you. She takes charge of the cuffed suspect while WEST fanboys over FREEMAN. WEST Are you kidding? He's the star of Hot Suspect. LOPEZ Sounds like a porno. FREEMAN LAUGHS WEST It's not, okay? It's the highest-rated cop show on TV. FREEMAN You watch it? WEST Oh, yeah. I mean, every single week. It's amazing. FREEMAN It's all right. It's nothing like the work you do in the real world, Officer? WEST West. Jackson. They shake hands. FREEMAN Jackson. Well, good to meet you, Jackson. Maybe you could teach me that slide sometime. WEST Sure. Yeah, I'd, uh- I'd be happy to. LOPEZ Let's go, Hollywood. INT. SHAW MEMORIAL, DAY - HALLWAY OUTSIDE EVA'S ROOM DR. GRACE SAWYER is briefing HARPER and NOLAN on EVA's injuries. DR. GRACE SAWYER Eva was beaten pretty savagely. They broke her arm and four ribs, ruptured an eardrum. Luckily, there were no internal injuries. HARPER Uh, she told detectives she didn't remember the beating. Is that possible? GRACE Sure. Although, medically speaking, I don't think there was enough head trauma to explain that. NOLAN So, she could be lying. GRACE That's more your department. You can go in and talk to her, if you want. HARPER No, I can't blow my cover. If my real identity got out, it would put her in jeopardy. GRACE How so? HARPER She introduced me to a lot of bad people. They would think she was a snitch, and they would kill her. NOLAN So that's it? We just walk away? Her attacker gets away with it? HARPER There is one person she might talk to. (to GRACE) Does this place have a lost and found? INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - BULLPEN SGT. GREY comes walking up to LOPEZ and WEST. GREY I hear you had a brush with fame this morning. Sterling Freeman? WEST Yes, sir. GREY Well, you must have made an impression, 'cause Mr. Freeman called in a favor with the Chief, asked if you can come be a technical advisor on his show today. WEST Really? LOPEZ He wants a rookie to tell him how to be a pretend cop? No wonder Hollywood always gets it wrong. GREY Which is why you're going with him. And before you protest that you'd rather clean the drunk tank - LOPEZ With my tongue. GREY - I will let you work 10-hour shifts next week, if you could please teach these actors how to properly clear a room. Or at least use their radios. LOPEZ (teasing) Luna makes you watch. GREY Every week. It's all I can do not to punch my fist through the TV. Just - please. He walks away. LOPEZ Copy that. WEST Never hung out with a celebrity before. LOPEZ You're lucky. She spots WESLEY standing with his back to her, talking to someone, and she splits off from WEST. EVERS I might need you to get - LOPEZ I'll meet you in the shop. WEST Okay. EVERS - a few of those to me by the end of the day. (LOPEZ taps his shoulder and he startles) Whoa. LOPEZ Sorry. EVERS No problem. You just snuck up on me. (to the other party) Um, I'll send the request when I get back to the office, okay? Thank you. LOPEZ How's it going? EVERS It's like I never left. LOPEZ Why does that sound like a bad thing? EVERS No, it's fine. I'm just trying to do what the doctor said, take things slow. We still on for lunch? LOPEZ I can't. But I'll make it up to you tonight. Okay? EVERS Okay. EXT. 819 RIVERA, DAY BRADFORD and CHEN are returning the dog to its address. CHEN Control, show us Code 6 at 819 Rivera. BRADFORD (knocks on the door) Police! We've got your dog. (pauses, knocks again) Police. There's no answer. CHEN looks in the window and sees a body on the floor of the front room. CHEN Body. BRADFORD kicks the front door in and they enter. CHEN finds no pulse on the body; they both hear a slight noise from elsewhere in the house and proceed to check the other rooms, weapons drawn. CHEN (whispering) Clear. They stand in front of a closed door, probably the bathroom. BRADFORD This is the police! We're coming in, so get your hands where I can see them! BRADFORD opens the door and they move quickly into the bathroom, where they find a boy curled up in the tub, rocking himself silently. EXT. 819 RIVERA, DAY - CRIME SCENE MALCOLM TUCKER is sitting in a patrol unit, petting the dog. CHEN Hey, Malcolm, That was a great hiding spot. You thought fast, and you kept yourself safe. Malcolm, can you tell me who hurt your mom? (no response) I'll be right back. She goes over to talk to BRADFORD just as DET. NICK ARMSTRONG arrives on scene. CHEN He's in shock. We got to get him to the hospital, make sure it's not something worse. ARMSTRONG Heard there might be a witness. CHEN Malcolm Tucker. But he's unresponsive. BRADFORD Mother was stabbed at least a dozen times. Not sure what he saw. ARMSTRONG So, a crime of passion. Fits the history. I ran a record search. Between us and social services, this house was visited half a dozen times in the last year. Domestic strife between the victim and her boyfriend, Carson Gomes. I sent officers to his house and job site. He gets out a report and shows it to BRADFORD. BRADFORD Rachel was the caseworker. (to ARMSTRONG) We're dating. ARMSTRONG Well, good. Give her a call. Have her meet you at the hospital, and she can brief you on the history in person. There's bound to be something she left out of her reports. CHEN You're not coming? ARMSTRONG No. I still got work to do here first. You guys will fill me in after. Yeah. BRADFORD Okay. ARMSTRONG You know as much as I love a witness, I just really hope he didn't see anything. Yeah. (they leave and he walks over to the crew on scene) So, what do we got? INT. SHAW MEMORIAL, DAY - EVA'S ROOM HARPER steps into the room in borrowed clothes, in her CRYSTAL persona, carrying a vase of flowers. EVA Crystal? HARPER In the flesh. Um - Here. EVA You stole these. HARPER Nah, I did not. EVA (reading the card) "To the best grandma ever"? HARPER She's in a coma. She will not miss them. EVA You're going straight to hell. HARPER I will save you a seat. (chuckles) So, um what happened? EVA Nuh-unh. You first. Where the hell you been? You just ghosted me? HARPER Look, I hit a rough patch. I had to skip out a moment. EVA And you couldn't call? I thought you were dead. HARPER I was, just about.For a while. Look, I only been clean a few months now, and, um - Look, I'm sorry. I-I didn't- I didn't mean to scare you. I heard you took a beating, and so, I, um, I wanted to come check on you. Who did it? EVA Ripper. He was entry level when you were crashing with me. Wilson used him as a runner at the stash house in Montgomery. HARPER Right. He was that big kid. He was always playing with that knife. EVA Yeah. Worked his way up the food chain real fast after you left. He thought I was skimming off the take. HARPER 'Cause you were? EVA Not enough to get stomped on like this. Ripper's always been Old Testament, but I should've known better. HARPER Did you tell the cops? EVA What do you think? HARPER Look, the enemy of my enemy - EVA Will get me killed. HARPER You are the same old Eva. EVA Damn straight. And I don't need help from nobody. HARPER A'ight, I'm-a bounce, but, um I will check on you later, so - EVA Don't bother. You're still dead, as far as I'm concerned. HARPER Um- take care of yourself. WOMAN ON P.A. Dr. Lawrence, 5247. INT. SHAW MEMORIAL, DAY - WAITING AREA RACHEL HALL comes up to speak with BRADFORD and CHEN. HALL How's Malcolm? CHEN Uh, he's still in shock. He's lucky it wasn't a lot worse. HALL I can't believe Julie's dead. Did Carson do it? BRADFORD We don't know yet. Was he abusive? HALL Uh, not physically, as far as I could tell. He has a criminal record, but honestly, Mom was the eye of that storm. I tried to get Malcolm removed, but I couldn't get a judge to sign off. What's gonna happen to him now? BRADFORD Well, once we get clearance from the doctor, we'll take him down to the station. We'll need to get a statement. HALL I'll meet you. I have to reach out to family, see if anyone can take him, so he doesn't end up in a group home. BRADFORD Hey, Rachel. You did what you could. HALL It wasn't enough. INT. SHAW MEMORIAL, DAY - HALLWAY NOLAN I mean, I figured I could at least run a record search, you know, try to find Howard's family. GRACE When did he move out of the house? NOLAN Five years ago. I'm not sure how long his family stayed after that. GRACE Let me know if I can help somehow. I'm just, like, sitting around at home tonight, so - My ex took Oliver on a camping trip. He's gone all week. I've never been away from him that long, and I'm, like, climbing the walls a little. Just It's too quiet, you know? NOLAN Yeah. I know the feeling, but you should embrace that, just go out, have some fun. GRACE I'm not familiar with that term. HARPER passes by on her way to the elevators. HARPER Let's go. I got a name. NOLAN I-I-I Uh – GRACE See you later. NOLAN I got to go. But do have some fun - in the name of the law. He hastens to join HARPER in the elevator. GRACE (laughing) Oh, my God. INT. TV STUDIO, DAY - SOUND STAGE WEST Wow. The Maltese Falcon was shot here. LOPEZ (still unimpressed) So was Cop Rock. FREEMAN Jackson. Welcome. Thank you so much for taking the time to help out. WEST Yeah, happy to. LOPEZ Where's catering? FREEMAN Behind that set. (LOPEZ heads in that directon) Should we wait for her to come back? WEST I don't think that's happening. FREEMAN Okay. So, where do we start? WEST Well, uh this is all wrong. Yeah, the, uh, Taser and the gun should never be on the same side. Got to know what you're going for. FREEMAN Right. WEST Try to radio for help. FREEMAN Uh - Radio shouldn't be in back? WEST No. FREEMAN See, I've been wearing this for 36 episodes, and this is why we needed a technical advisor all along. You know, I would love for you to tell all this to Jim. He's directing this episode. WEST Does he know much about police work? FREEMAN Thinks he does. Apparently, directing a handful of procedurals makes you an expert. WEST Wish I had known, I would've skipped the academy. LOPEZ is loading up a plate at the catering table when set staff ARIZONA comes up. ARIZONA Sorry, this food isn't for background. LOPEZ What? She gives ARIZONA the flat "cop stare" and ARIZONA backs off. ARIZONA Uh, extras eat someplace else. O-O-Or you can eat here. I mean - Any- Anywhere. INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - DETECTIVES' OFFICE NOLAN You got a second? ARMSTRONG Yeah. Sure. Come on in. HARPER Hey, um, you ever run across a banger named Ripper back at the 77? ARMSTRONG Rings a bell. HARPER He used to be a runner for Wilson. ARMSTRONG Now, that name, I know. Ran half the crystal meth in Southern California till somebody split him up the middle. You know, let me check my records. He gets out a well-worn Rolodex card file and starts flipping through it. ARMSTRONG No comment. I've been working this way a long time. Don't trust computers. Ripper, known to his mama as "Curtis Danvers." What you into him on? HARPER He beat up someone I know. ARMSTRONG Yeah, I know a couple of detectives in my old gang unit wouldn't mind talking to him with a little leverage. NOLAN We don't have that. HARPER Yet. NOLAN Victim won't testify, won't even ID him to us. Harper managed to get the name, by approaching her in an old undercover identity. ARMSTRONG Grey approved that? Never mind. I didn't ask. Look, I don't have to tell you with no testimony, you got no case. Now, if you wanted to go back undercover, and get him to brag about it to you, that'll hold up in court. But to do that, you got to go to Grey. INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - BULLPEN NOLAN It's a bad idea. HARPER It's the only way Ripper ends up in bracelets. NOLAN It's risking a lot for someone you said was just "a means to an end." HARPER Says the guy trying to locate the family of a rando who showed up at his front door with a sob story. NOLAN That's different. I'm not judging you for wanting to help Eva out. HARPER What are you judging me for? NOLAN For someone who gave up undercover work, you sure do it a lot. HARPER When the situation requires it. NOLAN The situation, or you? HARPER What, you think I'm looking for an excuse to go back undercover? NOLAN I think you're nervous about your first overnight with your daughter. HARPER Oh, and this is self-sabotage? NOLAN A little, yeah. Look, when my marriage was on the rocks, I hid at work. I didn't want to do the heavy lifting it would take to fix things, and I can see why you'd want to go down this road. As dangerous as it is, it's danger you're good at. But this is how you lost your daughter in the first place. INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - BULLPEN NOLAN Yeah, I think I was pushing the envelope with Harper, but I really think I got through to her. CHEN Oh. Really? Then why is she in the roll call room dressed as Crystal, preparing an op? INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - BRIEFING ROOM DET. EMMA CALDERON And our CI will let us know when the target's inbound. Once he lands, our UC will go in, and attempt to get him talking. And we're not traveling anywhere with this guy. Are we clear? Surveillance van will be set up across the street here - NOLAN slides into a chair next to HARPER. HARPER Don't say a word. NOLAN I wouldn't dream of it. He slides an Allen wrench over to her. CALDERON - here and here. And, Officer Nolan, as our uniformed presence, we need you invisible until we don't. So, hang with us until we call in for rescue. Copy? NOLAN All due respect, I'd like to stick with my T.O. I think being by her side until go time would be a valuable learning experience. CALDERON Fine. You'll go plainclothes. But you don't make a move without an order. NOLAN Yes, ma'am. CALDERON Can I have our UC come to the front, so everyone can see what she's wearing? Get a good look, people. If it goes sideways, do not shoot this person. Her trouble signs will be hands up, gun out, or running away. If you see her doing any of these, the op is down, and we send in rescue. Rescue response time is 30 seconds, so for that long, you're on your own. Okay. Unless any of you have any questions, let's head out. HARPER Hey, listen, if you want to stay behind, just say the word. NOLAN No way. You're my T.O. I got your back no matter what. HARPER You know, it'd be a lot easier to hate you if you weren't so damn honorable. NOLAN I know. INT. TV STUDIO, DAY - SOUND STAGE WEST and FREEMAN are practicing busting down a door on set. WEST Okay. Go into your stance. FREEMAN Okay. WEST Pull your weapon. Not your real weapon - your fake weapon. Put it away. FREEMAN Okay. WEST All right, now look at me for a signal, okay? I'm gonna say "LAPD. Open up." I'm gonna kick it in. You're gonna cross in. Ready? FREEMAN Yes. WEST LAPD. Open up! Nice. They startle MANDY CROSS, who's been reading her script on the other side of the door; she gets up and walks off. FREEMAN Oh. Sorry. WEST Sorry, ladies. One more time. FREEMAN Okay. MANDY CROSS comes over to LOPEZ, who's still loitering around the catering table. MANDY CROSS Hey. I hear you're a real cop. LOPEZ Yep. CROSS I'm Mandy Cross. I'm Sterling's co-star. I was wondering if I can ask you something. LOPEZ Is this about a scene? 'Cause Officer West is handling that crap. CROSS O-Oh, no. It's, uh personal. I think I have a stalker. And it's kind of freaking me out. LOPEZ Have you filed a police report? CROSS Not yet. I just I don't know if it's something I should be worried about or not. I have cards and letters in my trailer. Can I show them to you? LOPEZ Sure. Let's go. INT. MANDY CROSS' TRAILER, DAY CROSS is showing LOPEZ the letters she's been getting. CROSS I started getting them a few months ago all unsigned, without a return address, one every couple of days. But in the last month, they've been showing up daily, sometimes twice a day. LOPEZ What do they say? Are there any threats of violence? CROSS No. They're actually sweet in a disturbing way. He's in love with me, or he thinks I'm the greatest actress he's ever seen. LOPEZ Something else happened, didn't it? CROSS Yeah. I think someone broke into my house. The other morning, I woke up, and I saw my side door unlocked. I could swear it was not like that when I went to bed. LOPEZ Did you call the police? CROSS No. I felt silly. There was nothing missing. I just got a weird feeling. LOPEZ Unfortunately, there's not a lot we can do without a verifiable threat. But you should definitely take this seriously. Get an alarm system, try not to go to places alone, and at the first threat, call 911. CROSS Okay. I'm officially freaking out now. Would you mind staying close to me while you're here? It'd make me feel better. LOPEZ Of course. INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION - BRIEFING ROOM, DAY BRADFORD and CHEN look on as ARMSTRONG faces MALCOLM across a table, with HALL nearby. ARMSTRONG I know this is painful. I promise I'll make it as quick as possible, okay? MALCOLM Okay. ARMSTRONG Did you see what happened? MALCOLM They had a fight - Mom and Carson. ARMSTRONG About what? Do you know? HALL Hey. It's okay. Take your time. MALCOLM About me. Mom was mad 'cause I left out the peanut butter. She yelled at me, sent me to my room. But we were supposed to play Xbox. ARMSTRONG "We" who? MALCOLM Me and Carson. Carson was nice to me. He spent time with me. He yelled at her, told her she was being a bitch. She started screaming. ARMSTRONG Had he ever hit her before? MALCOLM No. Never. He's never hit her. ARMSTRONG O-Okay, tell me more about the fight. Did you see it or or just hear it? MALCOLM I heard it. A door slammed. My mom threw a plate. She was so mad when he left. ARMSTRONG Uh- When who left? Carson? MALCOLM Yeah. ARMSTRONG Mm. And she was still alive? MALCOLM Yeah. ARMSTRONG And did Carson come back? MALCOLM No, she chased him away. ARMSTRONG Did anybody else come over? HALL Um, w-we should stop. BRADFORD Rachel - HALL No. Malcolm needs a lawyer. ARMSTRONG Miss Hall, you don't have standing to make that request. HALL (to MALCOLM) Ask for a lawyer. BRADFORD Rachel. ARMSTRONG Miss Hall. CHEN She's right. Malcolm should have a lawyer, and we should want him to have one. ARMSTRONG (reluctantly) It's your right, son. Do you want a lawyer? MALCOLM looks at HALL, who nods. MALCOLM I guess so. ARMSTRONG Officer Chen. Would you take Malcolm to the break room? CHEN Yes, sir. This way. ARMSTRONG So, you got a lawyer in mind, Miss Hall, or are we calling legal aid? EXT. STREET, DAY - SURVEILLANCE VAN HARPER Is there a new ETA on Ripper from the CI? CALDERON Not since the last time you asked, five minutes ago. NOLAN (reading a file) That is so weird. HARPER What? NOLAN That guy Howard I told you about, who dropped by my place this morning. I did a records check on his wife. She seems to have dropped off the face of the Earth a couple years ago. HARPER Okay. What could that mean? NOLAN Maybe she got remarried, changed her name legally. HARPER The government doesn't track names. They track Social Security numbers. NOLAN Maybe she stopped working? Or maybe there's more to the story than Howard's letting on. HARPER I'd go with that. Why are you still pursuing this, anyway? NOLAN I told you, good karma. HARPER You know, you're nice, but you're not that nice. NOLAN My dad walked out on us when I was 10, and my mom used to spin these wild stories about where he was. But the moral to all the stories was "We're better off without him." HARPER And you didn't think so. So you thought you'd give Howard's family the closure that you never got. NOLAN Something like that. I guess the universe doesn't work like that. HARPER No. It really doesn't. INT. TV STUDIO, NIGHT - OUTDOOR SET LOPEZ, WEST, CROSS, and FREEMAN are walking together. FREEMAN That was the best scene we have ever done on this show, hands down, all because of you. So, can you come every day, please? LOPEZ No. (to CROSS) I had my watch commander contact North Hollywood police. They'll have a unit meet you at your house, and cruise by your place every few hours. CROSS Thank you so much. LOPEZ No problem. CROSS splits off to go to her trailer. FREEMAN Uh, maybe we can arrange some sort of private training? WEST Sure. Yeah, I'd, uh I'd love to train you on my off days. CROSS screams. WEST (to FREEMAN) Stay here. INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, NIGHT - HALLWAY HALL Malcolm didn't do it, he couldn't have. BRADFORD I hope you're right. HALL But you think I'm wrong. (sees EVERS coming up) Wesley. Thanks for coming. EVERS Of course. Where's my client? BRADFORD Break room with Chen. EVERS She's not questioning him. BRADFORD No. She knows the rules. EVERS I'm gonna go talk to him. HALL Great. EVERS You can't come with me. HALL I'm his advocate. EVERS Rachel, you work for the county. I work for Malcolm. Sorry, but you're on the outside now. He departs to talk to his client. HALL I'm guessing I'm on the outside with you, too, huh? BRADFORD Not with me personally. HALL He's just a traumatized kid, Tim. BRADFORD Yeah. INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION - INTERROGATION ARMSTRONG So, here's where we stand, Malcolm. You admitted that you saw your mother after her boyfriend, Carson, left the house. Did you get into a fight with her, too? EVERS You don't have to answer that. MALCOLM She said she was done with him. It wasn't fair. CHEN and BRADFORD are in Observation. CHEN Are you mad at me, for insisting on a lawyer? BRADFORD You gave the kid time to think, strategize, get his story straight. If he killed her, and we can't convict, it's on you. CHEN He's a child. BRADFORD And kids can't be monsters? LOPEZ enters Observation in street clothes. LOPEZ Hey. How's he doing? BRADFORD Wesley? Oh, he's fighting the good fight. ARMSTRONG You recognize this knife, Malcolm? He shows MALCOLM a photo of the bloody knife from the crime scene. EVERS You don't have to answer that. ARMSTRONG He's right. You don't. But I think you want to. I think the truth is eating at you. And you need to let it out. Do you recognize this? MALCOLM It's from the kitchen. EVERS flashes back to being attacked in the fallout shelter. ARMSTRONG Let's go back to what we know, okay? Carson leaves the house. It's just you and your mother. Then, what? MALCOLM She left the room. And I grabbed it. ARMSTRONG The knife? Throughout the following dialogue EVERS keeps having flashbacks, sweating, trying to focus. MALCOLM I picked it up, and followed her. She was yelling about how it was over. Carson was gone. We'd never see him again. BREAKING. I started crying. And she laughed at me. She laughed at me. ARMSTRONG What'd you do to make her stop? EVERS Malcolm - MALCOLM I hit her with the knife. ARMSTRONG You hit her with the knife? You mean you stabbed her? MALCOLM Yeah? ARMSTRONG Where? MALCOLM Her back. ARMSTRONG Then what? MALCOLM She turned to me. ARMSTRONG Uh-huh. MALCOLM Not even mad. Like she didn't even feel it. ARMSTRONG Did she cry out? EVERS flashes back to the fallout shelter again ("Get an ambulance!"). MALCOLM I guess so. ARMSTRONG You guess so? Which hand did you use? MALCOLM Right. ARMSTRONG How many times did you stab her? EVERS (about to break down) Okay, that's enough. We're done for now, okay? ARMSTRONG (to MALCOLM) Do you need a break? MALCOLM No. I just want it over. ARMSTRONG Okay, you stab her in the back. She turns and looks at you. Then what? MALCOLM I stabbed her again in the front. And then, I couldn't stop. EVERS leaps up and bursts out of the room. In the hallway he leans on the wall, eyes closed, breathing fast. LOPEZ comes out of Observation. LOPEZ Wesley. Baby, are you okay? EVERS Mnh-mnh. LOPEZ Just breathe. In through your nose, out through your mouth. EVERS Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. ARMSTRONG steps out of Interrogation, concerned. ARMSTRONG What's going on? EVERS I just need a minute. ARMSTRONG Let's call it a night, okay? It's late. We'll get Malcolm squared away in a juvenile facility. LOPEZ (to EVERS) It's okay. It's okay. INT. SURVEILLANCE VAN, NIGHT CALDERON Word is, Ripper's not coming tonight. HARPER Word could be wrong. We should sit tight. NOLAN Detective. Shift's over. HARPER All right. Let's call it. But we are back here first thing. INT. NOLAN'S HOUSE, NIGHT - BEDROOM NOLAN wakes up in the wee hours and gets up to get some water. The lights are out but there's faint light coming into the house from outside, showing the viewer the form of someone standing in the living room. NOLAN doesn't notice that, goes to the fridge and gets a bottle of water, taking it back to the bedroom, while we see that the mystery person is no longer in the living room. NOLAN enters his bedroom and sees GREEN, sitting on his bed, agitated, stabbing his own leg with a screwdriver. NOLAN Howard? Howard? What are you doing here? GREEN I put everything I had into buying this house. I drained my savings, worked two jobs. But they took it all for granted. They took me for granted. The ingrates! NOLAN realizes that GREEN is between him and his phone and sidearm. NOLAN Howard, you need help. So, we're gonna call someone who can help you. GREEN No! NOLAN Okay. Okay. We don't have to do that. GREEN She said they were afraid of me. BREAKING. Me. NOLAN (to himself) So afraid, they went into hiding. GREEN Where are they? NOLAN Come on, Howard. GREEN (increasingly agitated) Where are they? NOLAN I don't know where your family is. I don't even know your family. GREEN Where are they?! NOLAN Howard. GREEN takes a swing at NOLAN, who counters, gets him to drop the screwdriver, and brings him down to the floor. NOLAN Easy. Easy. Easy. Easy. INT. SURVEILLANCE VAN, DAY NOLAN So, how did the bed building go last night? HARPER Pretty good. Not sure if the bourbon helped or hurt, but - How's your, uh, house crasher? NOLAN You heard about that? HARPER When units go Code 3 to a cop's house, they wake up the Chief. NOLAN Yeah. This is the part where you say "I told you so." HARPER Harper would say that. But I'm Crystal. INT. TV STUDIO, DAY - SOUND STAGE LOPEZ Our forensic team dusted your house for prints, and Threat Management went through all your cards and letters. Mostly what you expect - an escalating pattern of obsession. But there were several mentions of someone "keeping you two apart." Are you dating anyone? CROSS Only on TV. INT. TV STUDIO, DAY - FREEMAN'S TRAILER WEST Knock, knock. FREEMAN You're back. WEST Yeah, just until the reinforcements arrive. FREEMAN How's Mandy? WEST Safe, with my T.O. FREEMAN Cool. WEST Yeah. FREEMAN So, uh, what are you up to this weekend? WEST The private training thing. Right. Yeah, uh, this weekend could work. FREEMAN Great. But also, we should eat. Can't learn on an empty stomach. WEST clues in to FREEMAN's insinuation. WEST Right. Yeah. And I guess, since we have to eat anyway, we might as well pick a nice spot. FREEMAN Yeah. And I have so much to learn. You have so much to teach me. We should probably block out several hours. WEST All night, even. They're leaning in to kiss when someone knocks on the trailer door and they both chuckle. FREEMAN Come in. ARIZONA steps in, looking serious. WEST Hey. Uh, they need him on set? Oh! ARIZONA fires a gun at WEST, who falls to the floor. FREEMAN Jackson! ARIZONA You can't have her. She aims her gun at FREEMAN. FREEMAN Wait. ARIZONA She's mine! Before she can fire again, LOPEZ Tasers her from behind and she goes down. FREEMAN Jackson! Are you okay? Jackson! LOPEZ Vest caught it. FREEMAN Thank God. Are you okay? WEST Ow. That hurt. EXT. STREET, DAY - SURVEILLANCE VAN A black SUV pulls into the building under surveillance. CALDERON Look alive. Ripper's here. HARPER Test, test, 1, 2. CALDERON Good to go. NOLAN Uh, Harper. You know, you don't have to do this. HARPER Relax, 5%. This is what I do. HARPER walks up to the door of the building and bangs on it. RIPPER opens the door. RIPPER What do you want? HARPER Ripper. You know me. RIPPER No, I don't. Get lost, junkie. HARPER Dude, hey! We used to hang out at the stash house on Montgomery back in the day. Dude. Crystal. A long pause, then: RIPPER Long time. HARPER Too true. RIPPER So, what do you want? HARPER I hear you're the man now. Now, look, I-I'm down for anything. RIPPER Anything, huh? HARPER (fawning) Mm-hmm. RIPPER All right. Come on. INT. RIPPER'S PLACE There are some men hanging out, drinking, playing loud music, etc. HARPER Who are your friends? RIPPER Trust me, you don't want to know these guys. Hey, you used to hang with Eva, right? HARPER Yeah, for a minute. RIPPER Hmm. Because she stole from me, you know. You here to steal from me, too? HARPER Look, I told you, I haven't seen Eva in years. We ended ugly. NOLAN (in the van, listening) We got to get in there. CALDERON We won't get there in time. She's got to get herself out of this. HARPER You say she stole from you. CALDERON Rescue detail, stand by. HARPER I will make her pay. I'll cut her face off with a razor. You say the word. RIPPER You always were hard-core. Anyway, Eva already caught her beating. But since you're feeling so generous, I do have a job you could help with. HARPER Sure, sure. Anything. RIPPER Cool. Let's take a ride. NOLAN What is she doing? You said no traveling. CALDERON He's not giving her a choice. But her survival odds go way down inside a car. We roll in strong, they'll just kill her. RIPPER and his dudes walk over to the SUV and open the door, gesturing HARPER to get in, but she hesitates. RIPPER What's wrong? Don't you want to come? HARPER Nah, nah. I'm cool. CALDERON (on radio) Sarge, what do you want us to do, here? Sarge. SGT. GREY Did Harper demonstrate any of the trouble signs? CALDERON Negative, but she was given orders not to travel with the subject. GREY Can you engage without further jeopardizing her safety? NOLAN tucks his gun in his waistband and pulls on a cap, getting his hands and clothes dirty from the grubby floor of the van. CALDERON Negative. Do I engage rescue? GREY Not yet. But put a follow car on them, and stay alert. CALDERON notices NOLAN's quick prep just as he exits the van. CALDERON Hey - What are you doing?! The SUV is pulling out into the street, with HARPER and the men in it, when NOLAN runs out in front of the vehicle, looking angry. NOLAN Whoa! Where you goin'?! RIPPER Yo! Don't touch the ride! NOLAN Crystal, you told me to wait for you. Where you goin'? RIPPER (to HARPER) Yo, you know this fool? HARPER Uh, that's my old man. RIPPER "Old" is right. (to NOLAN, showing him his gun) Yo, walk away. NOLAN (aiming his gun at RIPPER) Yo, make me. Crystal, let's go. RIPPER Let her out. HARPER scrambles out and stands next to NOLAN. RIPPER See you around. (to NOLAN) You, too. The car drives off and HARPER turns to glare at NOLAN. HARPER You got a death wish, Boot? NOLAN I get it from you. INT. LOPEZ/EVERS HOME, EVENING - LIVING ROOM LOPEZ brings EVERS a plate of food; he doesn't look up from what he's reading on his laptop. LOPEZ Here. You want to talk about anything? EVERS No. LOPEZ We're gonna get through this. EVERS SIGHS. Yeah, I know. INT. CAR - BRADFORD/HALL BRADFORD It's not your fault. HALL There has to be something I could've done differently. BRADFORD Tragedies happen, no matter how hard we try to stop them. Doesn't mean you give up. But you have to accept the fact, that some things, really are out of our control. All we can do is cherish the small victories. HALL That was almost inspirational. BRADFORD Well, stick around. I'm full of surprises. They kiss. INT. SHAW MEMORIAL, EVENING - ELEVATOR BAY EVA is being wheeled into an elevator in a wheelchair. She doesn't look up to see HARPER hanging nearby in street clothes, watching. INT. CHEN/WEST APARTMENT, EVENING - LIVING AREA CHEN enters the apartment to find WEST and FREEMAN chatting and drinking wine on the sofa. CHEN You're - He's – WEST Yeah, way to not make it weird. Yeah, Sterling, this is Lucy. FREEMAN Lucy. So nice to meet you. CHEN Yeah. H-Hi. FREEMAN Would you like some wine? CHEN Yes! FREEMAN Jackson was just telling me how awesome you are. CHEN Hmm. Well, that that is true. FREEMAN Get a glass. Come on. CHEN Okay. Thank you. INT. HARPER'S HOUSE, NIGHT - LILA'S BEDROOM LILA is checking out the decor in her new bedroom. It's bright and cheerful. HARPER So? What do you think? LILA It's awesome. She runs and jumps on the bed, which creaks as HARPER looks apprehensive. HARPER Uh... How about we read a book? LILA Okay. HARPER gets a book and snuggles up with LILA on the bed. HARPER Let's see. "Chapter one"… The foot of the bed comes loose and drops to the floor, leaving them sitting on a slant. HARPER Oh, my God! They both laugh. INT. SHAW MEMORIAL, NIGHT - ELEVATOR BAY GRACE is coming off duty and runs into NOLAN. NOLAN Ah, Grace! GRACE Hey! What are you doing here? NOLAN Well, there is a new photography exhibit at LACMA. There is a midnight showing of Candyman - on a rooftop in Koreatown. He holds out a ticket for each event. GRACE Whoa. NOLAN And there is an Armenian festival in Echo Park. I got you a ticket to all three. You're gonna find fun at at least one of them. GRACE That is very sweet. NOLAN I agree. GRACE But I don't want to go alone. He produces three more tickets. NOLAN I'm so glad you said that. I say we start at the Armenian festival for some fasulye, we hit the exhibit, wrap it up with the midnight show. GRACE Isn't that a little ambitious? NOLAN Not at all! It's actually super ambitious. So, really, we should go. GRACE (laughing) Okay. Lead the way. NOLAN Excellent. GRACE Is this a date? The elevator doors open and they step in. NOLAN Uh well, do we have to name it? GRACE No. I guess we don't. NOLAN Good. As the doors close, GRACE asks... GRACE What the hell is fasulye? Category:Transcripts